Harsh reality has set in for the Rangers who are now chasing growth rather than the postseason

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ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Jeff Banister #28 of the Texas Rangers pulls Nick Gardewine #45 of the Texas Rangers from the game against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the sixth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 14, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The hard realities are starting to sink in for the Rangers.

The year will end with the final Sunday of the regular season for just the second time since 2010. There have been too many opportunities wasted and there are too many aching, injured bodies.

"We're a little banged up physically and bruised mentally," manager Jeff Banister said, while conceding nothing, before the Rangers took another bruising Friday in a 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

Banister was only stating the facts that become more evident on a nightly basis. The loss to Los Angeles, in which the Rangers blew yet another lead, was the team's fourth in a row. They remain five games behind Minnesota for the second wild card spot with 15 games left to play. They also trail three other teams, including the Angels. This weekend was supposed to be about catching and passing Los Angeles. After one game, that possibility is already ruined.

And so, the season starts to become more about learning for the future. For the Rangers, it is about learning their younger players who may fill roles next season. For the younger players, it is about what they must do to fill those roles.

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Which brings us to where the season began - and ended - the failures of the bullpen.

Guys like Nick Gardewine, Yohander Mendez (still viewed as more of a starter in the long-term) and Ricky Rodriguez are pitching in big situations in September because other guys failed earlier this season. The Rangers hope they can learn from their own issues in September.

On Thursday, Gardewine couldn't keep the Rangers within sight of Seattle. On Friday, Mendez and Rodriguez, who began the year at Class A, couldn't hold a lead. In a five-run sixth inning, Mendez walked the one left-handed batter he was asked to face, despite getting ahead of him, and Rodriguez allowed a game-changing two-out, two-run home run after getting ahead of C.J. Cron.

"There are a lot of lessons to be learned from facing major league hitters," Banister said. "These guys are going to learn their stuff plays up here, but it's still about getting ahead and executing pitches. There are no easy outs up here."

Facing Calhoun, Mendez got ahead 1-and-2, but, at 2-2, he was not awarded a strike on a changeup down and away that appeared to catch the corner. The next pitch, another changeup wasn't close. The walk put the go-ahead run on and forced the Rangers to turn to Rodriguez.

He immediately gave up a game-tying single. He fell behind Luis Valbuena 2-0 and was forced to throw a strike, which the hitter drove for a sacrifice fly. He got ahead of Cron 1-2, but missed in with a slider that never looked like a strike, then came back with another one that never left the strike zone. Cron hammered it for a two-run homer. It was the second homer Cron has hit against Rodriguez. He also hit a game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth inning in Arlington two weeks ago.

"If you are up two strikes and throw a breaking ball, you've got to bury the breaking ball," Banister said.